Sticks and Stones, Love
by Concetta
Summary: Though at odds with each other many times Jack starts to realize that he's actually getting quite fond of Anamaria . .
1. A Little Rescue

Chapter 1  
  
Captain Jack Sparrow was sitting in the cabin of his ship The Black Pearl, contently eating an apple. The day had gone smashingly well so far. Two ships worth of plunder that day was gained. Life was good!  
Suddenly the cabin door burst open.  
"Haven't you ever heard of knocking, Anamaria?"  
"I don't feel like being polite," the browned skinned pirate spat out at him.  
"Are you ever, love?" Jack said with a grin.  
Anamaria glared at him. "When am I going to get that ship?"  
"The ship.?"  
"The one you promised me when we sent sail with Bootstrap's boy!"  
"Oh! That ship!"  
"Yes, that ship."  
"Well, you see, love," Jack said getting up and lazily putting an arm around her shoulder, "If my memory has not left me, I believe that that ship was wrecked to pieces."  
"Then you owe me still another ship!"  
"You commandeered the interceptor for a little while,"  
"Not long enough, Jack Sparrow!"  
"CAPTAIN Jack Sparrow, CAPTAIN!"  
"Captain Jack Sparrow, then, when am I going to get my ship."  
Jack pretended to be considering for a moment then said, "I'll get back to you on that one, love."  
Anamaria curled her hand into a fist and made to strike him, but remembered in time that Jack was now the filler of her purse, now that she was under his command. Anamaria wanted to keep that purse full.  
"Fine!" she finally said, dropping her hand to her side. Then she strode out of the door of Jack's cabin.  
  
A few days later at Tortuga . . .  
  
"Ah, Anamaria-"  
"What do ye want?"  
"Well, since we have stopped into port for repairs, I figured why not have someone mend the holes in the sails, savvy?"  
"You want me to be sewin' up the canvas?"  
"All right, if you insist, love," said Jack with a charming grin.  
"No, wait- you know very well Captain Sparrow that I just asked a question, I did not volunteer."  
"I expect those sails to be patched by nightfall. By that time I should be back from the Faithful Bride . . . maybe."  
  
That evening found Anamaria sitting on the deck mumbling curses on Jack while pulling a needle and thread in and out of a sail.  
"I become a pirate to get away from this sort of thing, and look, I'm stichin' up somethin' for someone all over again . . . At least I get paid this time." Just as Anamaria finished this thought, an all too familiar swagger resounded on the deck.  
"Back so soon?" She asked with a raised eyebrow.  
"For some reason," Jack said, his slur heavier than usual, "the pleasurable company was not as pleasurable tonight."  
Anamaria looked up and frowned. "Really, Jack?" She didn't know why this suddenly interested her.  
Jack didn't say more but continued walk toward his cabin with "we kidnap and plunder and flame and ignite, drink up me hearties, yo ho!"  
  
That night a terrible storm arose.  
"Gibbs! Secure the sails!"  
"Aye, Cap'n!"  
"Mr. Cotton, help Mr. Gibbs!"  
"Anamaria,"  
"Yes, sir?"  
"You are the most nimble and able-bodied member of this crew," even amidst the chaos Jack managed a grin at his mentioning of "able-bodied" and Anamaria managed to scowl. "I need you to carefully climb onto the bowsprit lash down its' sails."  
"Aye, aye!" Anamaria yelled over the howling of the wind.  
As Jack gripped the helm, trying to desperately keep the Black Pearl on course, he regretted his orders and found himself suddenly worrying about Anamaria's safety.  
"She's strong lass, who can take care of her own self," he thought to himself, "ya savvy, Jack?"  
Suddenly he heard a sound that clenched at his heart.  
Anamaria's scream.  
"Mr. Gibbs, take the helm!"  
Jack ran over to the bowsprit. Anamaria was hanging upside-down from it. Her boot was entangled in a long piece of rope.  
"'Maria, love just hold tight, I'm gonna try to get you out."  
Gingerly Jack inched his way onto the bowsprit.  
"Hurry, you bloomin' idjit! I'm slippin' out of my boot!"  
"I'm comin', just keep your skirt on . . . if you were wearing one. Actually its probably a good thing that you're not, given how you're hangin' upside-down like tha' an' all. Most unfortunate."  
Anamaria rolled her eyes. "JACK!" Of all the times for him to be jesting! Suddenly she felt his hand grip her boot.  
"All right, I got you now!"  
Just as quickly as relief washed over Anamaria, so did fear as she suddenly felt her foot slip out of her wet boot.  
"ANAMARIA!"  
The dark woman felt the warm waters of the Caribbean Sea close over her head as she fell into the water. She was as good a swimmer as Jack Sparrow but, that didn't much help her with the waves fighting to keep her down.  
"Blast, it!" Jack yelled. "Mr. Cotton, fetch me some rope? I'm goin' in after her. I'm getting a déjà vu feelin' about this." 


	2. SharkBite

Thanks to everybody who has reviewed so far! It's greatly appreciated, mates!  
  
Shark-bite  
  
Jack was slowly lowered down into the swirling waters. Once he was in  
the crew gave slack to the rope. Jack peered through the rain and saw  
Anamaria struggling a few feet away. As Jack made his way over to her  
a flash of lighting illuminated his surroundings. A few feet behind  
Anamaria, Jack saw, to his horror, the fin of a shark, slowly making  
its way toward his crewmember.  
  
Jack swam as hard as he could toward Anamaria. "Jack!" She cried out  
when she saw him.  
  
"CAPTAIN!" He yelled as he grabbed a hold of her. Jack then gave the  
rope a vicious tug and immediately they felt themselves being drawn  
towards the boat.  
  
All of a sudden, Anamaria cried out in pain.  
  
"What's the matter?" Jack yelled.  
  
"Something- bit me!" She gasped. Fortunately by that time, they were  
next to the Black Pearl and being pulled up.  
  
Once they were hoisted up on deck, Jack looked at Anamaria and saw  
that she had past out. A pool of blood was beginning to soak the deck  
under Anamaria's leg.  
  
"You alright, Jack?" Gibbs asked. Gibbs was the only member of the  
crew who Jack gave any right to call him by his first name.  
  
"I'm fine, but I can't say the same for little Anamaria here."  
  
Mr. Gibbs inspected the wound. "Shark-bite," he announced.  
  
"You know, I never would've guessed tha,'" Jack said sarcastically.  
"Here," he then said, "someone tear a piece of their shirtsleeve off!"  
  
"Why?" Stubs, the shortest crewmember asked, frowning.  
  
"Because I'm not going to bloody tear off a piece of my shirt! Come  
on, man!"  
  
Stubs then ripped off his shirtsleeve and handed it to Jack. Jack took  
it and, splitting it halfway down the middle, he proceeded to wrap it  
around Anamaria's leg. Then he took the two split sides and had one  
end wrap around one way and the other, the other way. Then he tied the  
two ends together once they met.  
  
Captain Sparrow then picked up Anamaria and began to head off  
toward his cabin.  
  
"Who has me effects?" he asked.  
  
"I do, sir!" yelled Stubs.  
  
"Very good, bring them into my quarters when you have a chance."  
  
"Aye, aye, Captain!"  
  
"And you can release the sails now that the storm's let up."  
  
Anamaria woke to the soft light of a lantern swaying back and forth above her head.  
  
"What- what happened?" she asked groggily.  
  
"You fell off the bowsprit, darlin''" she heard Jack's voice say.  
  
Anamaria lifted her head slightly to see Jack hovering over her leg.  
She scowled and tried to lift it in order to kick him, but a searing  
pain resulted in her trying to move it so she used her good leg.  
  
Jack was sent to the floor when her calf connected with his skull.  
"Ya bloomin' bird-brained, addle-pated twit! What business do ye have inspectin' me leg?"  
  
"You fell off the bowsprit; I saved your life; you were bitten by a  
shark and by the courtesy of Stubs' shirtsleeve I bandaged up your  
leg, savvy?" He replied as he got painfully to his feet.  
  
"You did that all for me?" Anamaria asked with grateful smile that,  
for Jack, sent a surprising warm rush through him; as if he had  
suddenly caught fire. Jack covered himself by saying, "well, I  
couldn't let you bloody bleed all over my deck."  
  
Anamaria's grateful grin turned into a serious scowl. "Why you egg  
suckin' bilge rat!"  
  
"Sticks and stones, love," Jack said with his trademark grin. 


	3. Fever

Thanks to all you cool reviewers!!!!!!!  
  
Fever  
  
Anamaria was left to rest; her duties refused to her. Jack had gone back to the Faithful Bride for drink and company.  
  
Gibbs went into Jack's cabin to check on Anamaria. Gibbs entered to find Anamaria sleeping on Jack's bunk. Gibbs noticed something in the dim light that was streaming through casement windows. Beads of perspiration were developing on Anamaria's brow. Carefully, the long-time sailor put a hand to the dark lass' forehead. It burned under his hand.  
  
"Fever," he murmured. "Jack had better be returnin' soon."  
  
Two hours later Jack Sparrow came stumbling up the gangplank.  
  
"Cap'n," Gibbs began.  
  
"Good morrow to ye, Mr. Gibbs! Or is it good eve'n'?" Jack looked up  
at the dimming sky. "It's good eve'n'!" he announced.  
  
"Cap'n," Gibbs repeated.  
  
"You know Gibbs, the oddest things have been happenin.' Scarlet  
forgave me, but when she offered her room, I had no inclination of  
goin.' When I was talkin' with 'er earlier I kept getting' distracted,  
and fidgety feelin' like I should be somewheres else."  
  
"Jack!" Gibbs cried, impatiently.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Anamaria has developed a fever."  
  
Jack stiffened and rushed to his cabin, his once askew steps now  
forming a straight line.  
  
When Jack reached Anamaria's side he felt her forehead. "Right on it, Mr. Gibbs, a fever she does have." Jack straightened up from Anamaria's bedside. "You interviewed every part of the crew afore signin' them on. Any of 'em have any basic medicinal trainin'?"  
  
"None."  
  
"Not even Mr. Cotton's parrot?"  
  
"I'm afraid not, Jack."  
  
Jack crouched down and thought for a moment by Anamaria's side. Absently, or maybe not so absently, he began to softly stroke her sweaty forehead.  
  
"Uh . . Cap'n?"  
  
"Hmm?"  
  
"What shall we be doin' 'bout Anamaria?"  
  
"We're goin' to find a doctor," was Jack's reply.  
  
"In Tortuga?"  
  
"No, of course not. If a doctor was set up at Tortuga he would be swamped with drunk patients and prostitutes with a problem. No, mate we're goin' to the respectable island of Carraway.  
  
Dr. Emmet Brown* sat in his office checking his schedule. He sighed  
and took off his spectacles in order to wipe his eyes. At reaching the  
age of sixty, he felt its effects.  
  
He was what you considered a revolutionary doctor. He never used  
leeches in his practice, holding firm to his belief that it made the  
patient worse instead of better. Dr. Brown also was a firm believer in  
the consumption of many fruits and vegetables.  
  
Eating all these healthy foods had warded off the blow of age until  
now. Sighing again he leaned forward at his desk and took out his  
quill pen to mark his appointment with the spectacle-maker.  
  
Suddenly the door to his office opened with a loud bang. He heard the  
sound of a pistol being cocked. When he looked up he found himself  
staring down the length of a pistol barrel.  
  
"Hello, mate."  
  
*For my own amusement I used Doc Brown's name from Back to the Future, one of my favorite trilogies! 


	4. The Diagnosis

*Thanks to all you cool reviewers!!!  
  
The diagnosis  
  
"So, let me get this straight," Doctor Brown said slowly walking out of his office door while Jack had his pistol in his back. "You want me to go to your pirate ship and diagnose a crewmember.  
  
"Yes," Jack answered. When no response came from the doctor Jack said in a low desperate voice, "I will be pay you any sum of money you want, just please acquiesce." Then he said in more steady tones, "Do not make me shoot you!"  
  
"I wouldn't dream of it!" Doctor Brown replied in a shaky voice. "Lead me on."  
  
"Good," Jack said grinning, "I knew we would come to an understanding!"  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"I've brought the Doc, how's Anamaria faring?" Jack asked as he lead the doctor across the deck to his cabin.  
  
"She's taken a turn for the worse," Gibbs answered.  
  
"Oh, Lord!" Jack cried bursting through the cabin door.  
  
Anamaria lay there like one dead. She was pale and sweaty and her breathing had become shallow. Doctor Brown knelt down beside her and felt her forehead, took her pulse and inspected her wound. Throughout that time Jack stood by awkwardly, peering over the doctor's shoulder every once and a while.  
  
Finally Doctor Brown stood up with a sigh.  
  
"What? What was it?" Jack asked, getting into his face.  
  
"Well," the doctor said, turning his face away from Jack's rum tainted breath, "the wound weakened her ability to fend off diseases that might come her way."  
  
"So . ."  
  
"She has scarlet fever."  
  
"Scarlet fever . . is that bad?"  
  
"Oh, very bad, indeed!"  
  
"Hmm . ." Jack stroked his gotee in thought. "What should I do?"  
  
"Well, I suggest you feed her plenty of fruit and broth, and keep wiping her head with a cool rag."  
  
"Awright! Well, we are going to be in port for a couple more days, do ye think ye can be stoppin' by to check on her for those last two days?"  
  
"Of course," Doctor Brown answered with a smile.  
  
"Thank ye, good doctor, thank ye!"  
  
Nightfall found Jack in his cabin tipping a bowl of broth into Anamaria's mouth, which he was glad to note that she was taking.  
  
"Sir," Stubs said, coming in, "aren't ye going to shore? I heard tha' the island is not as respectable as they let on. They got a house at the other end of the island, right next to a tavern." There was no response from Jack. "Well, aren't ye goin'?" He asked again.  
  
"No, Stubbs. Not tonight."  
  
"Well, considerin' I'm on shore leave now, I am. Would ye like me to bring you back some grog?"  
  
"I'd 'preciate tha'."  
  
Then Stubbs left Jack alone in his cabin. As Jack sat there feeding Anamaria the broth, words began to come into his head, things he should have said, things he should have done. He found himself beginning to talk to Anamaria knowing she could not hear his words.  
  
"I'm sorry about your boat. I know it was wrong of me to force you to jump off and leave you there swimmin' after it like a dog. I bet you knew I was going to try to nab it didn't you. That's why you poked a small hole in it, you clever girl. You would rather have seen it at the bottom of the ocean then in anybody's hands but yours. But, then if you knew, why did you let me on board, eh?  
  
"You're a confusin' lass. But, you're a different confusin' lass. And I love you . ." Jack sat back on his heels surprised by his words. The revelation had struck him. That was why he had been less happy in the company of Tortuga then in the past. All the time he was with them, one lass kept coming to his mind and he couldn't get her out. That lass was now in his bunk, lying sick with scarlet fever. Why hadn't he realized it earlier! She and Jack shared a love that bound them to one another as no other woman of Jack's ever had. A love of ships, and the sea.  
  
Anamaria understood Jack's love for the Black Pearl, he never had to explain it to her, like he had to so many other women, and in her own way she loved the Pearl too.  
  
Jack looked down at Anamaria and saw that a droplet of broth was resting upon her lower lip. He leaned down close to her face. "I hope you feel this, love." And with that he kissed the droplet ever so gently off her lips. To Jack's pleasure he felt Anamaria's lips respond weakly. Jack broke the kiss and stroked the side of her burning face.  
  
"Please don't die on me, Anamaria." 


	5. The Fever Breaks

Hi, all! Sorry I was slow on updating! Oh, and, "Tinania Lindaleriel:" I'm sorry if the stuff about scarlet fever is inaccurate, I had it myself once, but that was when I was a baby, so obviously I don't remember anything about it. Sorry about the inaccuracies again, I tried to fix them as best I could in this chapter. :) *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
The Fever Breaks  
  
"We will know by tonight," said Doctor Brown, "if the fever breaks then we're in safe waters again."  
  
"And if it doesn't?" Jack asked anxiously.  
  
The doctor just gave him a sad glance.  
  
"Oh," was all Jack said in reply. The pirate captain looked to the west to see the setting sun. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
The rest of the crew had been onshore since the doctor recommended that they stay away from the ship, thus preventing further cases.  
  
"I'm just surprised that you haven't caught it by now, Mr. Sparrow."  
  
"Well, I've been all over, you see, and over time I've been up a strong resistance to most diseases. I mean, the worst I've ever had was a cold."  
  
"Hmm . . very interesting."  
  
Every hour or so, Doctor Brown kept checking Anamaria's temperature by pulling out the little glass thermometer he had with him. (Did they have thermometers back then?) Jack sat by Anamaria's bedside unmoving for the entire time.  
  
Finally, the last hour came. Doctor Brown put the thermometer in her mouth and looked at it.  
  
"What does it say?" Jack asked with apprehension in his voice.  
  
"Her fever has broken!"  
  
Jack jumped up with his hands in the air, "Lord be praised!" he yelled, and he meant it. Then he rushed over to the doctor taking his hands and shaking them up and down, at an alarming rate. "Doc, you have know idea what this means to me . . . thank you for all yer help!" Jack was so overcome with happiness and gratitude that went so far as to kiss the doctor on both cheeks. "Any sum of money ya want, anythin' on the ship you like, you can have---except the rum! . . . And the ship i'self."  
  
"Actually, your gratitude was payment enough, Mr. Sparrow. I must say, I've heard of you and how you helped governor of Port Royal against those cursed pirates of the legendary Black Pearl . . .just to get to meet you and then to stand on the decks of the infamous ship herself! That is payment enough, Mr. Sparrow."  
  
Although much flattered by this praise, Jack insisted that he take the bag of gold he handed to him. Finally, the doctor gave in. "If you insist . . ."  
  
"I insist."  
  
"Speaking of Port Royal, have you been back to visit lately?"  
  
"Well, I have the Commadore lettin' me go free for a bit since I am invited to my friend Will Turner and his lass, Elizabeth Swann's wedding. Actually, that's where I'll headin'in a few days time." *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Anamaria was soon up and about a few days later and the crew was let back on board. But, still Jack would not let her do her regular jobs.  
  
"The doc said give it at least one more week for recovery and until then, you're not climbin' the rigging."  
  
"Than what I am I bloody supposed to do? I'll be bored out of me skull jus' sittin' on your bunk."  
  
Jack gave her a mischievous grin. "Oh, I wouldn't be to sure about tha' mate."  
  
Anamaria glared at him, but Jack saw the corners of her mouth twitch. The young woman then got up with a sigh and strolled back into Jack's cabin.  
  
Jack gave a casual glance toward the men then covertly followed Anamaria.  
  
The pirate captain saw his crew member begin to straighten things up on his table and put things away. She went to pick up his hat that he had left on the corner of the chair, when a hand stopped her.  
  
"What are ye doin'?" Jack asked.  
  
"Well," she began, trying to regard him coolly even though she was uncomfortably aware of how close he was to her, "I was straightening up this pigsty of yours just to give meself somethin' to do, you know I hate sittin' idle."  
  
"Aye, but my pigsty does not need straightenin' up---the rum!" Jack cried suddenly, when noticed his bottle missing from it's usual spot. "Where'd ye put the rum?"  
  
"In the cabinet over there."  
  
"Ah, good!" Jack said and he swaggered over to his cabinet.  
  
"Jack?"  
  
"Hmm?"  
  
"When I had the feva' I don' know if I was dreamin' or no but, I heard you mumblin' somthin to me. .'"  
  
Jack froze with the rum bottle at his lips.  
  
"Were you at my bedside? Were tryin' to talk to me?"  
  
"Well, I um----"  
  
"What were ye sayin'?"  
  
"Nothing of consequence, love," he said with his back to her, "nothing of consequence."  
  
When Jack did turn around he found Anamaria standing very close to him.  
  
"I also recall the feelin' of bein' kissed . . ." she added with a raised eyebrow.  
  
"Welll, you must've been dreamin' that time, lass," Jack said, and after taking a long swig of rum.  
  
Just then, Mr. Gibbs walked in. "Ah! Anamaria, good t' see ye up and about,!"  
  
"It feels good to be up and about, Gibbs," she answered.  
  
"Oh, Cap'n---"  
  
"Aye?"  
  
"We'll be headin' out of port in about five minutes, if tha's good with ye."  
  
"Oh, that's beautiful," Jack replied absently with a wave of his hand.  
  
When Mr. Gibbs left the cabin Anamaria followed him.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
That night as Jack lay on his bunk and was about to go to sleep, he felt a hand on his arm.  
  
"Wha---?"  
  
"Shh . . . it's me."  
  
Jack squinted in the darkness to see the face of the one he longed for.  
  
"'Maria?" he whispered.  
  
"Jack, I'm sorry to wake you, but---"  
  
"Anamaria, I told you a hundred times, I can't get you another boat, well, not right now, anyway."  
  
"It's not about the boat, Jack."  
  
"Then, what is so bloody important, that you had to wake me up in the middle of the night for?"  
  
"I just wanted to say thank you."  
  
"For what, love?"  
  
"Well, Gibbs told me tha' when I had the feva' you never left my side, except to kidnap a doctor." In the dim moonlight Jack could see a warm smile spread across Anamaria's face. "Tha' was real sweet of you, Jack."  
  
"Really?" he asked, quietly "I mean---- it was nothin' less than what I would've done if it were Gibbs or Mr. Cotton----"  
  
"Did you kiss me Jack?" Anamaria asked straight out.  
  
Jack opened his mouth then closed it. He then gave the pirate lass a sidelong glance before facing her again and saying softly. "What do you think, love?" Jack then put a hand behind her head and drew her lips down to his. In between kisses he suddenly heard Anamaria whisper: "I love ye Jack."  
  
Jack smiled then kissed her hard. "An' I love ye, ye bonny wench!"  
  
Anamaria laughed and snuggled up against him.  
  
"So, we goin' to a weddin'?" she asked.  
  
"Aye . . ."  
  
"I love weddin's."  
  
Jack turned his head to her. "Me too, lass." Then Jack gingerly got up off his cot and kneeled, a little clumsily, onto the ground.  
  
"Jack, what are ye doin?" Anamaria hissed.  
  
"Proposin', what does it look like?"  
  
"I thought I'd never see the day when Captain Jack Sparrow would ever think of tyin' himself down."  
  
"Then close yer eyes." Jack said with a grin, but then turned suddenly serious. "Anamaria, will ye marry me."  
  
"Jack, I----"  
  
"That's allright, I can accept rejection . . . I think. I dunno, I'm new at this. Except that one time I was really drunk. I think I proposed to pig in Tortuga."  
  
"Jack, I would love to marry ye, if you're completely serious and not as drunk as you were that time."  
  
"I am completely serious!"  
  
"Then I accept!" Anamaria said sitting on Jack's lap once he got back  
on the cot.  
She then kissed him again.  
  
"I wonder," Jack said, when they came up for air, "if we could  
'borrow' Will's clergyman . . ."  
  
"Just as you 'borrowed' me ship?"  
  
"Aw, Anamaria, are ye still mad about tha'?"  
  
"No," Anamaria said with a grin, wrapping her arms around his neck "this makes up for it."  
  
The End!!  
  
*Well, did ye like it? I hope so!!!! :) 


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